Aglaea thought for a moment and decided to buy it.
This "Divine Spark of Venus" truly resonated with her.
She handed over the star coins to Ye Yun, who accepted them and inserted them into the slot.
The next second, a diamond-shaped crystal wrapped in bubbles appeared before Aglaea.
Inside the crystal was a fiercely glowing light, and the whole crystal shone with a rose-gold hue, looking extremely high-class.
Ye Yun spoke.
"Just reach out and touch the bubble on the surface."
Hearing this, Aglaea extended her hand and touched the bubble.
The moment her hand made contact, the bubble vanished, and the diamond crystal shot toward her, entering her body.
A massive surge of energy suddenly enveloped Aglaea, lifting her slowly into the air.
Strange information began to flow into Aglaea's mind.
"Love, beauty, prosperity! The Dove of Peace, the Forest of Roses, the Mirror of True Self, the Golden Apple of Life!"
It took Aglaea more than 20 minutes to fully absorb this unfamiliar information.
The overflowing energy around her gradually calmed down.
She gently descended back to the ground.
Feeling the changes within her body, Aglaea was quite satisfied.
After absorbing the divine spark, not only did she gain a new surge of energy, but she also instantly learned several techniques:
Dove of Peace: Summons a dove symbolizing peace, with which Aglaea can share vision. The dove also has a calming effect on people nearby, making ordinary individuals more peaceful.
Forest of Roses: Summons a powerful forest made entirely of roses.
Mirror of True Self: Summons a mirror that makes it impossible for ordinary people standing before it to lie.
Golden Apple of Life: Summons a golden apple with healing powers.
These abilities were highly compatible with Aglaea, covering various domains.
She could fight enemies, manage a city-state, and even support logistics through healing.
Aglaea looked at Ye Yun.
"I'm very satisfied with this purchase. Thank you, Ye Yun."
Ye Yun smiled.
"No need to be polite. You pay, I deliver. Look at Stelle and the others—they don't stand on ceremony with me.
We're all friends here. Drop by and play anytime."
Aglaea nodded slightly.
"Alright."
She then stood up and left Ye Yun's store.
Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon followed Aglaea back as well.
Klee waved goodbye to them, pouting a little unhappily.
She had hoped they could all spend the night at the Rose Castle, so they could go play again first thing in the morning.
Ye Yun gently patted Klee's little head to comfort her.
"Klee, Tribbie and the others are busy. They can't always stay here to play with you."
Klee nodded.
"Mm, Klee understands."
Afterward, Ye Yun led Klee and the others back to the Cave Abode.
At the entrance, Klee looked back at Arceus, lost in thought, and seemed distracted all the way back.
Back at the Rose Castle, the seven little ones took a bath and went to their rooms to rest.
Ye Yun, seeing they were asleep, shut the main door of the Rose Castle and turned to Rita, who was preparing to stand guard.
"You planning to guard the place?"
Rita nodded matter-of-factly.
"Yes."
Ye Yun was speechless.
"Get out of here—you're the biggest danger!"
Rita stubbornly refused to leave. Knowing she couldn't out-argue Ye Yun, she clung tightly to the castle's main door, exuding a die-hard determination.
Ye Yun chuckled.
"Hah, that's it?"
He snapped his fingers, and a chain of imaginary energy wrapped around Rita like a caterpillar and forcibly carried her away.
Around midnight, a small figure quietly snuck out of the Rose Castle.
It was Klee. She was holding snacks and sneaked into Ye Yun's shop.
Peeking through the Cave Abode rift, she spotted Arceus resting on the sofa.
Klee tiptoed to his side. Arceus opened his eyes.
"Klee?"
Seeing him awake, Klee grinned and offered him a bag of snacks.
"Arceus, Klee brought you snacks. Can you help Klee with something?"
Arceus extended a tentacle to take the snack, popped a piece into his mouth, and asked:
"What is it? Just say it."
Klee said,
"Klee heard from Brother Ye Yun that you're really strong. I want to ask you to help Tribbie and the others. Their world is in danger.
They're always so busy and don't have time to play with Klee."
Arceus asked,
"Do you know what kind of danger their world is facing?"
Klee shook her head.
"Klee doesn't know~"
Arceus put the snack away.
"Go get some rest. I'll go take a look myself."
Klee beamed.
"Okay! You're the best, Arceus! Klee's going to bed now~"
After Klee left, Arceus rose and flew into the portal to Onphalos.
Outside the city of Janusopolis — The Deep Abyss.
Aglaea, Phainon, Tribbie, and the others arrived at this place.
Although the Titan of Discord had been incinerated by Stelle, some of its minions had survived.
The Deep Abyss was one of their hiding spots.
Aglaea had come to test her newly gained powers.
Phainon looked at her with concern.
"Lady Aglaea, do you really not need our help?"
Tribbie also chimed in.
"Yeah, Aggy, you sure?"
Aglaea summoned a wardrobe spirit and drew a sword from it.
"No need. I can handle this alone."
Holding the sword in one hand, she waved the other over the crowd of over a hundred Discord minions below.
A wave of pink energy emerged around her.
Immediately, the ground trembled, and countless roses burst forth.
The vines spread rapidly, wrapping around the Discord minions, thorns piercing their bodies.
In seconds, all of them lost mobility.
Aglaea then clenched her outstretched hand.
The vines violently contracted, shredding the divine bodies of the minions.
She then summoned thousands of Peace Doves to scout the surroundings.
Phainon stood dumbfounded.
Aglaea's power had increased this much? That rose attack alone—he wasn't even sure he could handle it.
Tribbie cheered for her.
"Aggy! Congrats on getting stronger! Now we've got a better shot at beating the Black Tide!"
Aglaea smiled.
"Yeah. Let's clean out the Deep Abyss first."
The three of them swept through the area, slaying every Discord minion they encountered.
With thousands of Peace Doves, their job was easy—just follow the birds.
High above Janusopolis, Arceus floated in the sky, examining the city.
He looked at the surrounding "Gates of a Hundred Realms" and figured they must be Janusopolis' defense mechanism.
The energy resembled what he sensed in Trianne, so it was likely her work.
And since Klee just wanted to play with Trianne, Arceus figured: why not replace the gates with a stronger barrier?
Radiating light, Arceus created a powerful seal around Janusopolis.
This seal was far stronger than the Gates—it only allowed exit, not entry.
Trianne, who was wandering in the Hero's Bath, sensed the change and teleported over.
She saw Arceus and asked,
"Arceus?"
He explained:
"Yes, it's me. I set up a seal around your city. It's much stronger than your gates, and only allows things to leave, not enter."
Trianne thanked him and then asked,
"Why are you helping us, though?"
Arceus replied,
"Klee came to me. She wants you to have more free time to play with her.
Anyway, it's done. I'm heading back."
With that, he vanished in a flicker of light.
Trianne looked at the seal and waved her hand, closing all the Gates of a Hundred Realms.
Her face visibly relaxed.
Not long after, Aglaea, Phainon, and Tribbie returned from their mission.
Seeing the Gates gone, they feared the worst and rushed into the city.
Upon seeing everything was peaceful, they relaxed.
Tribbie ran to the Hero's Bath to find Trianne.
"Trianne! What happened to the gates? Are you okay? Let me check you."
She smiled and reassured him.
"I'm fine! Arceus helped set up a seal around the city. I don't need to keep the gates open anymore!"
She giggled.
"Now I've got lots of time to play~ Hehe~"
Phainon was confused.
"Arceus? Who's that?"
Trianne answered,
"He's Ye Yun's spirit. Super powerful—might even be a god."
Tribbie added,
"Yeah! See that seal outside? That's his work. It's way stronger than my gates."
Phainon nodded.
"I see. I haven't been over there much, so I didn't know."
Aglaea looked at Phainon.
"You should go visit more often. With me around, Okhema will be fine."
With her newfound strength, she was confident in facing the Black Tide.
Phainon shook his head.
"I'll wait until we've dealt with the Black Tide first."
Aglaea didn't push it.
"Alright. Up to you."
Then the four of them headed into the city.
The next day.
In the new Sumeru City.
In Nahida's room, a ray of sunlight streamed through the window.
She opened her eyes, pulled off her covers, and sat up.
She got out of bed and walked to the window, smiling at the busy streets below.
It was still early—only 6 AM—but many residents were already up and active.
Some headed to construction sites, others were already firing up their breakfast stalls...
***
Nahida climbed onto her office chair, stood on it, and leaned on the desk with one hand as she searched for a document.
A moment later, she found what she was looking for, hugged the document, and jumped down from the chair with a soft grunt.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, I'm heading out to inspect the Shroomboar Ranch," she said.
The Great Tree King smiled and nodded.
"Alright, be back early."
Nahida nodded in agreement.
Half an hour later, Nahida arrived at the Shroomboar Ranch.
All the flora and fauna from the old Sumeru had been transplanted into the new Sumeru.
And 60% of all the shroomboars were concentrated within this ranch.
Interestingly, there were currently very few prisoners in the new Sumeru's prison.
As for the previous inmates? Sorry—they were all left in old Sumeru.
There was no place for them in the new Sumeru; they were left to their own fate in the old lands.
The Shroomboar Ranch was located at the bottom of a river valley.
The terrain was flat, with a river flowing nearby and fertile vegetation—perfect conditions for developing animal husbandry.
Led by the staff, Nahida entered the nursery area. She opened the fence gate and stepped inside.
Shroomboars were currently the biggest industry in Sumeru. Just the nursery area alone had over ten thousand piglets.
Not to mention the adult section—which held over fifty thousand fully grown shroomboars.
These pigs were fed a premium diet daily—some bran mixed with a wide variety of mushrooms, which gave their meat an exceptionally tender texture and a rich, fragrant mushroom aroma.
Nahida picked up a piglet and examined it—it was lively and clearly well-raised.
She turned to the staff behind her and said,
"Send a mature shroomboar to my place tonight. I'm hosting a dinner for some friends."
The staff nodded and called over a few forest rangers to catch a grown shroomboar.
The "Forest Rangers" were now the military force of new Sumeru. The former Eremite 30-man squads had been disbanded.
Dehya and Rahman served as deputy commanders, with Tighnari as the commander.
The entire Forest Ranger corps had a total of 30,000 troops—more than enough to handle the affairs of new Sumeru.
Tighnari was still actively recruiting, though results weren't very promising.
That was due to the limited population—just over a million people. Recruiting 30,000 soldiers was already quite the feat.
Most recruits were former desert mercenaries or members of the now-defunct 30-man squads.
To encourage population growth, the Great Tree King and Nahida implemented a series of welfare policies:
Have one child? Get 100,000 credits. Have a second? Get 300,000 more. Have a third? Get a free apartment—three or four rooms, around 150 square meters.
And it worked. Suddenly, there were far fewer people wandering around the streets at night—everyone was hard at work.
Meanwhile, neighboring Liyue was going even harder. Ningguang spared no expense in pushing for childbirth.
One child? 500,000 credits. Second? Add another 1 million. Third? Free house plus another million.
According to Liyue's latest data report, the number of pregnant women had risen by 70% compared to the previous month—remarkable results.
After inspecting the Shroomboar Ranch, Nahida headed to a nearby farm.
The farm grew all kinds of crops, fruits, and vegetables sufficient to supply all of Sumeru.
Since she was already there, Nahida decided to take a look.
She took a basket from a staff member and strolled through the fields.
Seeing a good-looking fruit or vegetable, she'd pick it and drop it in her basket—for tonight's meal.
"This tomato looks nice—let's slice it up with some sugar tonight.
This cucumber's great too—perfect for a smashed cucumber dish.
Ooh~ this watermelon looks amazing, sounds nice when tapped. Let's bring it back."
After gathering her harvest, Nahida headed back.
Once back at the office building, Nahida handed over the shroomboar and produce to the kitchen staff.
"I'm having guests over for dinner tonight. There might be dozens of them. Please do your best."
The head chef smiled.
"No problem at all, leave it to us, Lesser Lord Kusanali."
Nahida nodded and took the elevator to the top floor. After greeting the Great Tree King, she stepped through the portal.
Meanwhile, inside Ye Yun's store…
Stelle was looking worriedly at Lisa-Bubu.
"Lisa-Bubu~ why don't you stay with March today? Maybe with your presence, she'll wake up?"
She was trying to persuade Lisa-Bubu to skip today's match. Honestly, among all the Spirit, only Lisa-Bubu posed a threat to her Mires.
The others were no concern—she could crush them easily.
Lisa-Bubu wasn't stupid—she gave Stelle a look, then turned and walked into the portal to head for the Joyful Little Pebble.
Stelle sighed.
"Sigh~ feels like I'm going to embarrass myself today. I hyped myself up so much—if I lose, that's gonna be humiliating."
Topaz smiled.
"Can't be helped. Originally, none of the Spirit were a match for Mires.
You were supposed to win the first tournament, stay on the throne as Spirit King, and build up your image as the final boss.
Who knew Lisa-Bubu would pop up halfway?"
Stelle turned to Mires.
"Mires, we have to give it our all."
Mires pounded her chest.
"Mika!"
At that moment, Nahida walked in.
"Good morning, everyone."
Furina lit up with joy upon seeing Nahida and ran over.
"Nahida, long time no see!"
Nahida smiled warmly.
"Long time no see, Furina. How have you been?"
Furina replied,
"I've been great! I'm a huge star in the universe now!"
Nahida nodded.
"I heard about that from Nilou.
By the way, are you free tonight? Want to come over for dinner?"
Furina smiled.
"Sure, I only have one thing on my schedule today—singing at the Spirit King Challenge."
Nahida turned to the others.
"If any of you are free, feel free to join us for dinner tonight. I brought back some great ingredients from the ranch and farm—top quality."
Naturally, the idle ones like Stelle, Hutao, and Firefly agreed immediately.
Jing Yuan was about to say yes, but a stern look from Fu Xuan made him back down.
Fu Xuan said,
"General, you have a league meeting tonight."
Jing Yuan nodded.
"Yes, I'm aware, Fu xuan."
Qingque, seeing this, sneakily messaged Nahida.
Hehe, gotta be smart. I won't say it out loud—I'll DM her instead.
Just as she felt smug, Fu Xuan called her out.
"Qingque, you're attending too. This concerns you. The product data you collected will be presented at the meeting for the generals and marshals to decide on purchases.
You'll also be taking notes during the meeting."
Qingque was instantly stunned. Huh? I'm just a small office worker—what right do I have to attend a league meeting?!
Sob sob sob I was gonna eat dinner and then grind Celestial Jade tonight… it's all over!!!
Nahida estimated the number of guests and messaged the kitchen.
Then she joined the others heading to the Joyful Little Pebble.
Inside the entertainment district—
The entire area was packed—people everywhere.
Today, the final winner among the contestants would be decided, and then they'd challenge the powerful Pokémon King.
So everyone came to watch live at the Joyful Little Pebble.
Even those who couldn't get tickets stayed outside to watch on massive screens.
To accommodate the crowd, Aventurine had ordered huge displays to be installed outside the venue overnight.
Almost the entire universe was watching.
The corporate execs saw the potential in the Spirit tournament—if managed well, it could become the company's strongest project.
The livestream alone had tens of trillions of viewers—off the charts in popularity.
Even the divided board of directors was united in full support.
The project was now under the Strategic Investment Department, and all other departments were required to cooperate.
This infuriated Schneider. Strategic Investment Department? Just wait—I'll get my turf back eventually!
If Aventurine knew what Schneider was thinking, he'd welcome the challenge—finally a reason to take him down.
Just a few days ago, Boothill had approached Aventurine, originally to cause trouble.
But after chatting, they realized—they were natural allies!
Aventurine immediately dragged Boothill to a bar, where they vented about Schneider's evil deeds.
Boothill liked Aventurine's vibe and agreed to stay on as Head of Security for the resort.
Now, whenever they were free, they'd drink and rant about Schneider together—such bliss.
Worried about losing a fight?
So what? Just call reinforcements~ You think Aventurine sends those group red packets for nothing?
Worst case, bribe Stelle with star coins—it's a piece of cake.
Still not enough? Easy—send resources or equipment to Theresa, and have her call Kiana.
Stelle and Kiana not enough? Time for the final weapon—buy Acheron some medicine to stay awake and have her slash Schneider once.
Aventurine, afraid of Schneider? Pfft. As a guest of Ye Yun's store, why would he be scared of a lowlife like that?
Boothill was also happy in his new job—Aventurine gave him complete freedom. Just maintain public order, and he could do whatever he liked.
He recruited many retired Galaxy Rangers—many of whom had irreversible injuries like lost limbs.
The Galaxy Rangers had no base, so life was tough for many.
Boothill brought them in as security guards.
These veterans from the front lines found peace here, with good pay and a comfortable life.
Boothill had a great reputation among the Galaxy Rangers, so they were happy to follow him.
When Jing Yuan heard the news, he was filled with regret. If only he'd recruited Boothill earlier!
They were all comrades under the Hunt. If Jing Yuan had made the offer, Boothill would have surely accepted.
Even the Xianzhou's internal departments wouldn't have objected.
After all, these were true...